Modern business organizations depend on the “brain power” of their members in order to compete in an increasingly technology-oriented business environment. For the members of “brain-powered” organizations, success often depends on initiative, cognitive ability and technical competence applied to solve intellectually challenging workplace tasks. Another skill of nearly equal importance for these members is the skill of knowing “who to ask” when difficult tasks arise that are beyond the members' own expertise. Star performers within organizations typically develop and use robust pathways to a number of different experts in order to efficiently complete critical workplace tasks. An organization that encourages the growth and usage of such “knowledge networks” by its members stands to substantially improve the value added by its members as the right expertise is applied to difficult tasks, thus saving time and money in getting the job done right.
Most organizations have made substantial investments in communication networks to facilitate communication among members. For instance, computer networks support e-mail systems, instant messaging systems, telephone systems and voice mail systems to communicate within and outside of organizations. These communication networks are generally designed to simplify communications between members of the organization and typically include lists of contacts available to members of the organization. For example, contact list files are often available on the intranet of an organization and include phone numbers, e-mail and instant messaging addresses and other contact information. Such contact information sometimes includes the positions of the members within the organizational structure and the expertise of the members for dealing with specific issues, such as information technology.
Although communication networks have improved the ability of organization members to contact others within and outside of their organization, the problem of determining who to contact for help on particular tasks generally remains with each member. For instance, a member seeking expertise on a particular issue may attempt to “cold call” an individual with expertise, based on the individual's position with the organization. However, such cold calls often provide unpredictable results especially since a busy expert typically has little motivation or interest in helping strangers with complex problems. For this reason, effective organization members tend to rely on personal contacts or contacts-of-contacts in order to get assistance from an expert who will take a personal interest in tackling the member's problem. Thus, effective organization members invest time and effort to build and maintain a network of contacts that will aid in accomplishing workplace goals.